New Orleans @ Carolina
The Saints looked as if they might beat Denver after a Drew Brees TD pass with 1:22 left last week. Then the Broncos blocked the PAT and returned it for two points to win 25-23. Now, the Saints must travel to Carolina and take on the 3-6 Panthers, a team they have beaten already this season. Can New Orleans win on the road? Not this time… Carolina 27, New Orleans 23.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland
Will the rain stop falling on Pittsburgh? They blew another one last week when Dallas RB Ezekiel Elliott scored with just nine seconds remaining to give the Cowboys their eighth straight victory. The Steelers will face winless Cleveland, one of their biggest rivals. Pittsburgh won both games last season including a 28-12 win at FirstEnergy Stadium in January. It’s hard to believe the Steelers have lost four in a row. Even harder to believe would be a fifth consecutive loss…to the Browns… Pittsburgh 34, Cleveland 17.

Baltimore @ Dallas
The Ravens are on a roll and have taken command of the AFC North with consecutive wins over Pittsburgh and Cleveland. They will be tested this week when they travel to Dallas. The Ravens have the type of defense that can slow down the NFL’s No. 1 rushing team. Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott is something special. His touchdown with nine seconds remaining gave Dallas a win over the Steelers last week. He has proven he can run against anyone… Dallas 28, Baltimore 24.

Jacksonville @ Detroit
The Jags lost 24-21 to Houston last week in a game where the score was much closer than what the game actually was. The Lions play very well at home where they are 3-1 thus far this season. Detroit is now in first place in the NFC North after a bye week where the Vikings dropped their fourth consecutive game. Both teams are 5-4, but the Lions have beaten Minnesota once this season. A win over Jacksonville puts Detroit in the driver’s seat in the division… Detroit 32, Jacksonville 27.

Tennessee @ Indianapolis
The Titans picked up a big win, a 47-25 thumping of Green Bay last week. Quarterback Marcus Mariota continues to improve as he threw four touchdown passes last week. Tennessee’s ground game, third-best in the NFL, should carve up a weak Indianapolis defense. DeMarco Murray is second in the league with 807 rushing yards. This one could be a shootout as neither team is very good on defense… Tennessee 35, Indianapolis 34.

Buffalo @ Cincinnati
The Bengals offense has turned it up recently thanks to the return of TE Tyler Eifert. Quarterback Andy Dalton has been very effective the past few weeks as the offense has averaged nearly 30 points per game. Buffalo just can’t seem to stay consistent. The Bills won four in a row earlier in the season then dropped three straight. The schedule hasn’t helped and they still have games remaining against Oakland, Pittsburgh, and the revived Dolphins. They likely won’t win on the road… Cincinnati 28, Buffalo 20.

Tampa Bay @ Kansas City
After last season, one would think that the Chiefs would have been on everyone’s mind as a playoff contender. After last week’s terrific comeback victory over Carolina, they are right back in the thick of things. The Chiefs are 7-2 and host a Tampa Bay that can’t stop anyone, unless you count the offensive powerhouse known as Chicago. The Bucs are 29th in the NFL in scoring defense giving up 29 points per game. The Chiefs are tough to stop anywhere but even tougher at Arrowhead Stadium… Kansas City 31, Tampa Bay 17.

Chicago @ NY Giants
If it weren’t for Jacksonville and Cleveland, the Bears would be the worst team in the NFL. A 36-10 loss to Tampa Bay last week proved that the Bears lack any consistency whatsoever. A week after beating NFC North leader Minnesota, the Bears looked inept. The Giants, meanwhile, are fighting for a playoff berth and will have to overcome a short week after playing on Monday night… NY Giants 23, Chicago 17.

Arizona @ Minnesota
The Vikings dropped their fourth consecutive game last week, a 26-20 loss to Washington. Could they really lose five in a row? It’s possible, but the Cardinals are struggling too. Yes, Arizona beat San Francisco last week, but the Niners are just 1-8 on the season. Arizona needed a Chandler Catanzaro field goal as time ran out to beat San Francisco. Of the four losses, three have been on the road. Playing at home should be an advantage for the Vikings… Minnesota 17, Arizona 14.

Miami @ Los Angeles
The Dolphins have turned their season, the first under head coach Adam Gase, completely around. An offense committed to running the football with Jay Ajayi and a defense that got a pick-six from Kiko Alonso last week to beat San Diego has led to the resurgence. Miami started the season 1-4 and has now won five straight to move into second place in the AFC East. The Rams beat the Jets last week without scoring a touchdown. The Rams defense will be the difference… Los Angeles 17, Miami 14.

New England @ San Francisco
The Patriots are still a favorite to win the Super Bowl regardless of their play last Sunday night. Quarterback Tom Brady is on fire and TE Rob Gronkowski is finally healthy. The big thing for the Patriots though is that their defense is outstanding. They are second in the league in scoring defense (16.5 points per game). The 49ers are terrible. The only thing they do well is run the ball, but that is not enough to win games. The defense is dead last in the NFL giving up 32.5 points a game. You can’t win giving up that many points… New England 48, San Francisco 17.

Philadelphia @ Seattle
After two straight losses, the Eagles finally cleaned things up and got a big win over Atlanta (6-4) last week. Philadelphia’s defense held Falcons QB Matt Ryan in check, limited RB Devonta Freeman to just 49 yards and prevented WR Julio Jones from scoring a touchdown in a 24-15 win. The Seattle offense is not as dynamic as Atlanta’s and the Eagles could have another field day in shutting down the Seahawks. Seattle is very good defensively and could give rookie quarterback Carson Wentz some problems. CenturyLink Field is a tough place to play for anyone let alone a rookie QB… Seattle 24, Philadelphia 20.

Green Bay @ Washington
Two teams headed in opposite directions. The Redskins beat Minnesota last week and have lost just once in their past seven games. The Packers got drilled by Tennessee in Week 10 and have won just once in the past five weeks. Statistically, Washington QB Kirk Cousins (2,420 passing yards) looks just as good if not better than Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (2,039). The Packers lack of a running game – they managed just 69 yards (27 by Rodgers) in the loss to the Titans – is hurting the offense. Playing away from home, Green Bay is just 1-3 this season… Washington 23, Green Bay 21.

Houston @ Oakland
The Raiders had a week off to prepare for AFC South leader Houston, which won its first game on the road of the season last week. The Texans beat Jacksonville, 24-21, by doing what they do best - playing defense and running the football. Houston had 181 yards on the ground and forced two Jaguars turnovers. The 7-2 Raiders have one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses and they are getting better defensively. The Texans are just 1-3 on the road this season… Oakland 27, Houston 20.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville
In what appeared to be a battle for the No. 1 draft pick, Jacksonville went ahead and beat the Ravens last week, 22-20, to move to 3-6 on the season. Tennessee fell to the unbeaten Carolina Panthers one week after beating New Orleans 34-28 for their second win of the season. The Titans offense is terrible. The Jags aren’t much better, but they are at home… Jacksonville 18, Tennessee 15.

Oakland @ Detroit
Is it possible that the Lions can win two in a row? No one in their right mind thought they would beat Green Bay at Lambeau Field, but that is exactly what they did last week for the first time since 1991. Detroit welcomes a Raiders team that is up and down. They were down a week ago in a loss to Minnesota. Oakland will be up this week… Oakland 37, Detroit 34.

Indianapolis @ Atlanta
For the past six seasons, Atlanta has won every time after a bye week. The Colts, while still leading the AFC South despite a 4-5 record, appear to be improving finally. They beat Denver prior to their bye week. Don’t expect the Colts to stop the Falcons QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones… Atlanta 33, Indianapolis 28.

Tampa Bay @ Philadelphia
It was just a matter of time before Eagles QB Sam Bradford suffered an injury. While not a season-ending injury, Bradford will likely miss this game against the Bucs, who beat Dallas last week when QB Jameis Winston scored late in the fourth quarter. Can Mark Sanchez give Philadelphia a chance? At home, anything is possible… Philadelphia 22, Tampa Bay 17.

Denver @ Chicago
The Broncos fell for the second straight week after starting the season 7-0. Denver lost 29-13 to the Chiefs in a game where Peyton Manning was benched in favor of Brock Osweiler. Manning suffered a foot injury and his status is uncertain. The Bears have won two in a row, road games at San Diego and St. Louis. Can they pull the upset? It’s not Manning and offense that make Denver go; it’s the defense… Denver 24, Chicago 10.

Dallas @ Miami
The Cowboys have not won since Tony Romo broke his collarbone. Romo has missed seven games, all Dallas losses. Miami has been up and down since firing Joe Philbin as head coach. The Dolphins can keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a win… Miami 22, Dallas 20.

Washington @ Carolina
The Redskins put up 47 points in a big win over New Orleans last week but now face a Carolina defense that is much better than the Saints. QB Kirk Cousins will face a fierce pass rush and the running game, led by Alfred Morris (404 yards), will find the going tough. Stopping QB Cam Newton and RB Jonathan Stewart will be too much for Washington… Carolina 27, Washington 13.

Kansas City @ San Diego
The Chiefs are turning their season around. After dropping five in a row, head coach Andy Reid’s team now has won three in a row. The Chiefs have beaten contenders too, beating Pittsburgh 23-13 and Denver 29-13 on the road last week. San Diego is 2-7 and has lost four in a row. The Chargers losing streak can be blamed on a defense that has a hard time stopping anybody… Kansas City 28, San Diego 21.

Green Bay @ Minnesota
It’s hard to believe that Green Bay has lost three games in a row. That the Packers lost to Detroit at home is even more incredible than the fact that Minnesota sits atop the NFC North Division. It’s hard to see Green Bay losing four in a row, but the Minnesota defense might be the best QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have seen… Minnesota 19, Green Bay 17.

Cincinnati @ Arizona
The weekend’s most intriguing matchup happens in Arizona where the 7-2 Cardinals face currently 8-0 Cincinnati. Bengals QB Andy Dalton is enjoying his best season as a pro. He has thrown 18 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. The Cardinals have the league’s top scoring offense. This should be interesting… Arizona 31, Cincinnati 30.

Buffalo @ New England
A last-second field goal kept the Patriots unbeaten at 9-0. This week, they will take on a feisty Buffalo team that needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. New England will be without WR Julian Edelman too. Edelman suffered a foot injury and will likely miss the rest of the regular season. It shouldn’t matter this week… New England 38, Buffalo 21.

As betting on sports becomes more popular all over the globe, it can attract some negative attention from the sports franchises and teams that are being bet upon.

With millions of dollars riding on each game, some unscrupulous sports teams or players attempt to fix the outcome. Most of us have seen the scandals highlighted in the newspaper or on TV. Despite these occasional trouble spots, sports betting remains a popular pastime for many fans.